Two Georgia sisters admitted guilt in a federal case that prosecutors say routed nearly $2 million in pandemic unemployment benefits to ineligible claims, manipulated a state claims system, accepted illicit payments, and filed their own fraudulent claims across multiple states.
Joirean Creel, 35, of Duluth, and Adriane Creel, 24, of Stone Mountain, pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit wire fraud and honest services wire fraud, and U.S. Magistrate Judge Jonathan D. Greenberg accepted those pleas on Aug. 31. The sisters were employed in roles that gave them inside access to an unemployment benefits management system, and prosecutors say they used that access to override fraud flags and steer funds to improper claims.
According to court documents, both women were hired as remote teleservices representatives through a subcontractor working for the Ohio Department of Job and Family Services. That agency administered Ohio’s unemployment insurance program, which included federally funded pandemic-era benefits that carried additional scrutiny for fraud and misuse.
As part of their jobs, the defendants were granted access to an online system used to process and manage claimants’ benefits and to provide customer service over the phone. Instead of limiting system use to legitimate work, investigators allege the sisters solicited and accepted bribes and kickbacks that resulted in $1.96 million in benefit payments to claims that had been held or denied for suspected fraud.
Those paid claims had previously been flagged by the system or by reviewers as suspected fraudulent activity, but the defendants allegedly used their credentials to nullify and void the fraud indicators without authorization. That manipulation allowed the previously flagged claims to be paid out, undermining safeguards meant to protect taxpayer-funded programs during the pandemic.
In addition to manipulating claimant accounts, the sisters are accused of submitting applications for unemployment benefits in their own names to multiple states, including New York, Pennsylvania, and Nevada. Investigators also found that Joirean Creel maintained employment with the U.S. Postal Service while claiming to be unemployed, a fact that prosecutors say further bolsters the fraud allegations.
Law enforcement action in the case included seizure and forfeiture of a Mercedes-Benz GL450 tied to the scheme, and officials say the Ohio Department of Job and Family Services ultimately lost more than $2 million as a result of the conspiracy.
The inquiry was led by the U.S. Department of Labor Office of Inspector General, the FBI Cleveland Division, and the U.S. Postal Inspection Service Pittsburgh Division–Cleveland Field Office. Those agencies coordinated investigative steps that included tracing benefit payments, reviewing system access logs, and following financial flows tied to the alleged bribes and kickbacks.
The Department of Justice has created the National Fraud Enforcement Division, and officials describe the core mission of the Fraud Division as to zealously investigate and prosecute those who steal or fraudulently misuse taxpayer dollars. Department of Justice efforts to combat fraud support President Trump’s Task Force to Eliminate Fraud, a whole-of-government effort chaired by Vice President J.D. Vance to eliminate fraud, waste, and abuse within Federal benefit programs.
Assistant U.S. Attorneys Elliot Morrison and Erica Barnhill are leading the prosecution for the Northern District of Ohio, and the case underscores continuing federal attention to pandemic-era benefit fraud. The charges the sisters admitted to carry potential penalties that reflect both the monetary loss to government programs and the alleged breach of trust tied to their employment access.
https://x.com/cleveland19news/status/2095569758569549894
